It’s dangerous to explore Hyrule without first looking for the best weapons across The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Considering how important Fuse combinations are for the game, it’s often hard to tell if you’re investing time and energy in the right equipment.
In order to prevent Horriblins from bullying you all the time, we’ve gathered the best weapon options in Tears of the Kingdom and pinpointed where you can find them. If you prefer defense over offense, we also have a dedicated page for the best armor, which makes for the perfect companion for the options below.
The best weapons in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
At a glance, here are the best weapons in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom:
- Master Sword
- Lightscale Trident
- Scimitar of the Seven
- Fierce Deity Sword
- Gerudo claymore
- Royal Guard’s claymore
There are plenty of weapons to choose, and Fuse, in Tears of the Kingdom. Since the Upheaval has decayed most options across Hyrule, it can be hard to know which ones have standout properties to make the most out of them.
Aside from obvious choices such as the Master Sword, we’ve listed the best weapons that have unique traits, as well as some options that are easier to get, but still feature higher base damage than the usual weapons you find scattered around the world.
That said, the potential of each weapon is dependent on the quality of the Fuse material you combine it with. Depending on where you are in the game, it can be tough to get your hands on the best materials out there. Defeating a Lynel, for example, is already a daunting task. Going against a White Lynel might seem impossible without the right equipment, hearts, stamina, and defense.
As such, take our Fuse recommendations for some of the weapons as a general reference. Rare materials aren’t exactly a priority until you’re in the late game. Until then, use what you can. Remember to keep your weapon durability in check, and to pay Pelison a visit over at Tarrey Town to split weapon combinations for a 20 rupee fee.
Master Sword
Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon
The Master Sword is a must-have in Tears of the Kingdom. Link’s iconic weapon has around 30 base damage, and yes, you can Fuse materials and other weapons to increase it further. While it’s not strictly indestructible (sorry), the weapon runs on energy instead of sheer durability. Once its energy depletes, you only need to wait for a short-ish period of time to use it again. But yes, you can keep using it!
In addition, the weapon’s base damage is duplicated whenever you’re facing a gloom-infested enemy, such as a Gloom Lynel or the Demon King and his variations. You’re bound to stumble upon the sword as you’re progressing through the main story, but there are ways to get your hands on it fairly early into the game, which you absolutely should.
Last but not least, make sure to grab the Champion’s Leathers to make use of a special attack with your throw button — in a similar fashion to how it worked in Breath of the Wild.
For a step-by-step breakthrough on how to find the weapon, head over to our Master Sword location page.
Lightscale Trident
Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon
The Lightscale Trident is one of the standout weapons you can get from the Zora. It has 22 of base damage, which doesn’t sound like much. Yet, the damage doubles when Link is wet, a bonus that applies to any material Fused to it as well. I tried it out with a Black Horriblin Horn, and I had a total of 88 damage while covered in water. And that’s with a low power attack material.
After you’ve completed the “Sidon of the Zora” questline, you can kickstart the “Glory of the Zora” quest by talking to Dento, the blacksmith found in the Zora’s Domain. He’ll ask for a list of materials to craft the weapon:
- 5 flint
- 3 diamonds
- A Zora spear, which you’re bound to find around the Zora’s Domain — you get one as a reward for completing the “Mired in Muck” sidequest, which you’ll find while unlocking the Upland Zorana Skyview Tower.
Once you have all of the aforementioned materials, get back to Dento to obtain the Lightscale Trident. Make sure to Fuse it with a powerful item — Black Boss Bokoblins, White Lynels, or the Light Dragon to name a few — to make the most out of it.
Let’s talk durability. If the weapon breaks, you can talk to Dento again to craft another one, although you’ll need to collect the same materials again. Unless you’re using a duplication glitch for diamonds, it’s not a wise choice to let the weapon break all the time.
An alternative is to head over to the outskirts of Death Mountain, and look for Rock Octoroks. Dropping a weapon on the ground in front of them will lead them to consume it and spit it in a repaired state with a random bonus.
Weapons such as the Lightscale Trident don’t apply, but, you can get around this by heading over to Tarrey Town and paying the fee to split the weapon. Then, after you’ve found a Rock Octorok, Fuse the Lightscale Trident with a regular weapon (can be anything from a sword to a stick), and drop it in front of the enemy. Then, take it to Tarrey Town again, and split them. You’ll have a repaired version ready to use.
Keep in mind that Rock Octoroks can only do this once per Blood Moon, so you’ll need to spot a different one or wait for the next Blood Moon to repeat the process.
As for the condition of Link being wet, and without spoilers, you obtain a fairly obvious way to make the buff happen fairly often after finishing the “Sidon of the Zora” questline. This makes for a great way to create the synergy on command, with just a slight delay between uses. Of course, if you find yourself in scenarios under the rain or in direct contact with water, you’ll be all set.
Scimitar of the Seven
Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon
The Scimitar of the Seven is one of the emblem weapons you can get from the Gerudo. It has 28 of base damage, which doesn’t sound like much. Yet, its ability makes it so the attack power of any Fused item is doubled. This is an excellent perk which, unlike the Lightscale Trident, doesn’t require for any particular status for Link in order to activate it. That being said, getting your hands on the weapon is a fair bit more involved.
After you’ve completed the “Riju of Gerudo Town” questline, you can kickstart the “Missing Owner” by chatting with Cara in the town’s jewelry shop. This takes you to the Toruma Dunes on the west side of the desert, where you’ll need to save the character Isha by defeating a Molduga.
Afterward, you’ll be able to start the “Pride of the Gerudo” quest by talking to Isha again. She’ll ask for a list of materials to craft the weapon:
- 10 flint
- 4 diamonds
- A Gerudo Scimitar and a Gerudo Shield which, if you haven’t saved a few of them while doing the main quest in Gerudo, you can find them across the desert. Remember that Like Likes drop chests upon defeat, and if you spot any of them around the desert, there’s a chance they’ll drop either of the weapons.
Once you have all of the aforementioned materials, get back to Isha to obtain the Scimitar of the Seven. Make sure to Fuse it with a powerful item — Black Boss Bokoblins, White Lynels, or the Light Dragon to name a few — to make the most out of it.
Similarly to the Lightscale Trident, if the weapon breaks, you can talk to Isha again to craft another one. If you’ve gathered the same materials once more, that is.
The alternative is to head over to the outskirts of Death Mountain, and look for Rock Octoroks. Dropping a weapon on the ground in front of them will lead them to consume it and spit it in a repaired state with a random bonus.
Weapons such as the Scimitar of the Seven don’t apply, but, you can get around this by heading over to Tarrey Town and paying the fee to split the weapon. Then, after you’ve found a Rock Octorok, Fuse the Lightscale Trident with a regular weapon (can be anything from a sword to a stick), and drop it in front of the enemy. Then, take it to Tarrey Town again, and split them. You’ll have a repaired version ready to use.
Keep in mind that Rock Octoroks can only do this once per Blood Moon, so you’ll need to spot a different one or wait for the next Blood Moon to repeat the process.
If you want a similarly destructive weapon than the Lightscale Trident but don’t want to sink Link into water each time, this is the alternative to go for.
Fierce Deity Sword
Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon
The Fierce Deity Sword is a great option for the early to mid game, especially if you fuse it with a strong material. It has 38 base damage, which is a bit more than the Master Sword right off the bat (no shade, of course). The only downside is related to the weapon’s durability, as it won’t last long without a Fused item. That said, it’s one of the best early weapons due to its base damage, and how easy it is to obtain it. Plus, as a two-handed weapon, its heavy spin attack lets you damage enemies in quick succession (performed by holding the attack button).
While you can get your hands on the weapon after obtaining the Fierce Deity armor, don’t worry if it breaks. You’ll be able to purchase it from a bargainer statue later on for 160 poes.
For a step-by-step breakthrough on how to find the weapon, head over to our Fierce Deity Sword location page.
Black Boss Bokoblin two-handed axe
Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon
Defeating Boss Bokoblins in Tears of the Kingdom requires patience and strategy. If you’re pitting against a Black Boss Bokoblins, even more so. Once you’ve gotten your bearings over the differences in the sequel and a few Blood Moons have passed, it won’t be long until you stumble upon Black Bokoblins. And I highly recommend pursuing them for the materials they drop.
The Black Boss Bokoblin horn is an excellent Fuse material, adding 27 damage to weapons. For a two-handed axe, you’ll need an equivalent two-handed weapon first. For example, I used the Royal Guard’s claymore and got a total of 59 damage. In short, the Black Boss Bokoblin two-handed axe not only does quite a lot of damage, but its heavy slam attack is great for crowd control (performed by holding the attack button during a jump).
If you’re still early on into the game, grabbing a Traveler’s claymore from the Depths is a good shout. As you explore the underground area, you’ll come across spirits that look like well-armed Roman warrior statues. Amongst other options, they’re bound to have the claymore up for grabs.
As for Black Bokoblins, they’re bound to appear more often as you make progress into the game, slowly replacing the Red and Blue variants. Areas like Hyrule Field, Hyrule Ridge, and Lanayru Mountain are common spots.
That being said, I remember spotting a group of them inside the Walnot Mountain Cave at the coordinates (3931, -2068, 0129), east of Hateno Village past the Hateno Ancient Tech Lab.
Graphic: Jeffrey Parkin, Julia Lee/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo
If you’re searching for the Barbarian Armor, you’ll come across it.
Royal Guard’s claymore
Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon
The Royal Guard’s claymore is a high risk, high reward weapon in Tears of the Kingdom. It introduces itself with 32 base damage, which is quite decent. If you look at its description, however, the weapon notes that the damage increases exponentially when it’s about to break. After some time using it, you’ll see the message on screen saying so, and you can double check this by opening your weapons screen and seeing if it’s blinking. If so, you’ll already be benefiting from the damage increase, which is also displayed in the description.
Pairing this weapon with the Fierce Deity Armor or Barbarian Armor sets is a must in order to increase that attack even further. At the end of the day, though, the make-or-break element is the material you fuse it with. A Blue-Maned Lynel Saber horn, for example, adds 33 damage on top, taking the overall damage of the weapon close to 100 points when it’s about to break. Pairing it with a Black Boss Bokoblin horn granted 118 damage, while a Captain Construct III horn went from 57 to 114 damage.
Now, durability is a concern, which is the high risk side of the weapon. One particular scenario in which you can bypass this to some extent is by fighting Lynels, specifically while mounting them to attack their backs, as this attack does not decrease weapon’s durability. If you’re looking to farm some of the best materials in the game by taking these enemies down, this weapon will be of huge help.
You can find the Royal Guard’s claymore inside Hyrule Castle. As you’re navigating the throne room, you can stumble upon one laying on the ground behind a statue, high up the stairs. The coordinates are (0284, 1079, 0356) in case it helps:
Graphic: Jeffrey Parkin, Julia Lee/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo
There’s another one that you can find close to Princess Zelda’s Room at the coordinates (-0325, 0996, 0300), following an open door that leads to a blocked passage. The claymore is on top of the wreckage.
Graphic: Jeffrey Parkin, Julia Lee/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo
Bear in mind that the weapon will respawn after a Blood Moon, so you can repeat the process above once it happens. Lastly, you don’t need to wait until you can progress through the “Crisis at Hyrule Castle” quest in order to actually enter the castle itself. But if you’re looking for general navigation tips, our standalone page has them.
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